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Fabaceae FAMILY

Securigera varia

Securigera varia

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The whole plant contains a toxic glycoside called coronillin[1, 2, 3, 4]. It is one of the most toxic plants growing in Britain[1]. The plant contains beta-nitropropionic acid, a potent neurotoxin. When ingested in any but small amounts it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, slow pulse and death[5]. Ruminants can eat the plant without problems but, for non-ruminants, it can prove harmful if it comprises more than 5% of the diet[5].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
GrowthFast

Securigera varia is a plant of the temperate zone, where it is found at elevations up to 900 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40°c[6]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[6]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 800mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,000mm[6]. Prefers a sunny position, but tolerant of light shade[6]. Grows best in an open, well-drained, fertile calcareous soil[7, 2, 8, 6]. Tolerates poor soils and slightly saline conditions[9, 6]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, but tolerates 5 - 8[6]. Established plants are drought tolerant[6]. A food plant for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera species[10]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[9].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe. The seed usually germinates in the autumn. Stored seed can be pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in situ in mid spring[8]. Germination is best at 15 - 25°c[6]. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots with a heel, early summer/July in a frame. Can also be taken in spring[8]. Division in early spring[8]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Securigera+varia>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Edible and Medicinal Plants. — Launert. E. · Hamlyn · 1981 · ISBN 0-600-37216-2 ↩︎Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
  2. [2]Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. — Triska. Dr. · Hamlyn · 1975 · ISBN 0-600-33545-3 ↩︎Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
  3. [3]Poisonous Plants. — Stary. F. · Hamlyn · 1983 · ISBN 0-600-35666-3 ↩︎Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
  4. [4]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
  5. [5]The Pharmacological and Toxicological Effects of Coronilla varia and Coronilla scorpioides: A Review — Ali Esmail Al-Snafi · 2016 · http://www.tpcj.org · ISBN 2349-7092 ↩︎
  6. [6]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  7. [7]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  8. [8]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  9. [9]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  10. [10]Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. — Carter D. · Pan · 1982 · ISBN 0-330-26642-x ↩︎An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
  11. [11]AgroAtlas — http://www.agroatlas.ru/en/index.html ↩︎An on-line database of economic plants of Russia and the surrounding countries that formed the USSR, giving botanical descriptions, distribution, habitats and uses. It also gives comprehensive information on climate, soil, pests, diseases etc
  12. [12]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. — Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. · Oxford University Press · 1991 · ISBN 0-19-558229-2 ↩︎An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.